E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The New York Red Bulls season began and ended with a tie at RFK Stadium. In between, the organization experienced another turbulent regular season that required a win on the final day to sneak into the MLS Cup Playoffs. Three coaches later, New York once again lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series.
The turmoil actually started in the preseason, with an international war of words between star midfielder Amado Guevara and then-MetroStars president and general manager Alexi Lalas over Guevara's decision to play and train with his former Honduran club Motagua.
Lalas and former coach Mo Johnston had a stellar draft, trading up for the No. 1 overall pick and selecting speedy fullback Marvell Wynne. They then chose 16-year-old forward Jozy Altidore in the second round. Both were in the starting lineup for the Red Bulls season-ending draw at D.C. United last Sunday.
Austrian energy drink giant Red Bull then swept in and bought the organization and promptly re-branded the team. There was an air of excitement as the season started, with the belief that Red Bull's investment in the team would pay off with a stellar season.
To show their commitment, Red Bull paid for the largest traveling support the league has ever seen as 800 fans boarded buses to attend the April 2 season opener against D.C. United. A week later it was a lavish home opener, witnessed by a crowd of 35,793, including greats Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia.
At RFK, the fans were treated to a spectacular opening 45 minutes that saw a world class free kick by Youri Djorkaeff and a sitter by Edson Buddle give the Red Bulls a 2-0 lead at the half. But D.C. rallied for two second-half goals to secure a draw.
It would be a recurring theme for the Red Bulls - at one moment they'd look like an MLS Cup contender, then the next there would be a lapse in concentration and another goal for their opponent.
Johnston was fired June 27 after just three wins in the opening 13 games and he was replaced by Richie Williams on an interim basis. Things got worse before they got better. Youri Djorkaeff went on a month-long sabbatical in France to tend to his sick mother. He was also caught in the stands watching France beat Brazil in the World Cup, sparking a worldwide controversy.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the Red Bulls lost three of their next four games before a 1-0 win July 14 against Colorado at Giants Stadium. That game saw the return of Guevara from an early-season funk. With both Lalas and Johnston out of the picture, Guevara returned to his old form, thanks in part to a heart-to-heart with Williams.
A few days later, the Red Bulls welcomed the third coach of the season as Bruce Arena, who days earlier learned his contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation wouldn't be renewed, was named the organization's 10th coach in its 11-year history.
With newly-signed Dema Kovalenko on the field, Arena made his debut in front of a sellout crowd at Giants Stadium in a friendly against FC Barcelona. Unlike Lalas, who promised a "superclub," Arena set a goal of making the playoffs.
Mission accomplished, although it took the final day of the regular season to do so. They'd lose on aggregate to D.C. United, 2-1 in the first-round ouster. But first they dominated their rivals at RFK Stadium like no other New York team has done before. Altidore became the youngest player to ever score a goal in an MLS Cup Playoffs game and was a post away from a double.
"We made progress. The record doesn't necessarily indicate that, but we made a lot of progress over the last couple months," Arena said Sunday. "It was a good effort and good performance to end the year, although to be a better team, you walk off the field tonight with a game next week. And we had that opportunity."
The team met Tuesday at Giants Stadium for the final time before going their separate ways for the offseason. There was disappointment two days after the season ended, but optimism for the future.
"You can see we got better, we played better," Kovalenko said. "It's something good to build on for next year."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
